The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"What can the censor do?"

Wei Mingkang's complexion was sallow, and he usually had a cold demeanor, but at this moment, his blood surged and his skin glowed red.

The local official was in charge of both registers and the imperial court's expenditures. Being questioned about paper waste was tantamount to being questioned for allowing such waste while serving as the steward of the Tang Dynasty.

Ge Fuyuan and Li Yuansu, being officials in charge, also became nervous and looked at Lu Jun with puzzled expressions.

"I will explain my method later," Lu Jun said, not giving Wei Mingkang a direct answer.

He countered, "Gentleman Wei was so upright, selfless, and impartial; did he never think of saving money for the court?"

"I..." Wei Mingkang sensed the sarcasm in his voice but couldn't refute it. "I can't think of anything..."

The sound faded.

Knowing that the other party was trying to undermine him, he felt it was his duty as a clerk in the Ministry of Land Affairs to strive for frugality, so his question was perfectly reasonable.

It's better to answer "I don't know" and admit you're stupid than to admit you didn't do your job properly.

Wei Mingkang caught a glimpse of the Empress Dowager's burning gaze out of the corner of his eye, and his face darkened as if he were being put on fire.

Lu Jun smiled faintly and turned to the phoenix couch:

"Your Majesty, my method is very simple. The reason why we used to waste paper was because we recorded the entire quantity every time we made a register."

"All taxes, including rent, labor service, labor tax, labor service, grain purchase, miscellaneous expenses, spring gifts, and tax drafts, should be listed and reported in detail."

"In reality, most prefectures and counties now have no land to distribute, and land is passed down from household to household, remaining unchanged for decades."

"The collection plan for rent, labor service and tax, the actual collection records, the details of government expenditures, and the amount of surplus are all very stable, so there is no need to copy them again every time a register is made."

"Just keep a copy of the original, and report the changes to the court accordingly; a few pages will suffice!"

"Using this method, the frequency of reporting full drafts can be relaxed, and only the additions and subtractions need to be reported once a year."

"It saves paper, and the imperial court can grasp the changes more quickly."

This method was implemented in the twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan era and was called the "Changxingzhi".

Originally, the accounting of a single prefecture used more than 500,000 sheets of paper, which was a waste of resources and manpower. After the implementation of the long-term accounting policy, the annual changes in income and expenditure often only required one or two pages of paper, which was extremely economical.

The proposal was put forward by Li Linfu.

It sounds incredible, but at this point, economic behavior is extremely simple and regular, and it works.

Ge Fuyuan, Li Yuansu, and Wei Mingkang were stunned upon hearing this, exchanging bewildered glances and remaining speechless for a long time.

They were experts and knew that Lu Jun was right; although a lot of paper was used for bookkeeping each year, it was basically the same for everyone.

They each lowered their heads: "This isn't hard to understand, so why didn't we think of it before?"

They couldn't understand that they didn't care because the money spent on buying paper and copying wasn't their own.

Ge Fuyuan and Li Yuansu secretly regretted that they shouldn't have laughed at Lu Jun, let alone laughed out loud.

Looking back, I realize how remarkably stupid I was...

Upon hearing this suggestion, Wu Zetian's eyes immediately lit up, and a smile spread across her face.

She remembered Lu Jun mentioning paper costs a few days ago, and turned to ask, "Wan'er, help me calculate how much expense we could save each year if we cut back on paper?"

Wan'er had long been smug and wanted to vent her anger, so she calculated with extra care:

"Based on the population of Yongzhou, Yongzhou used 600,000 sheets of paper annually, while the national annual consumption should be over 10 million sheets, if not more."

"Each sheet of paper costs 60 wen, and the total cost of purchasing 10 million sheets is 12,000 guan."

"The amount of ink used is no less than the cost of paper; even if it is equal, the total is approximately 25,000 guan."

"These are just minor expenses; the more expensive part is the cost of manual copying."

"The government levies laborers to copy texts, which does not cost money, but it reduces the revenue from taxes and levies, and the loss is in paper and ink."

"Wan'er roughly estimates that the total amount saved is at least 50,000 guan, and even without considering the cost of sex, it is still 25,000 guan."

Lu Jun had previously calculated the expenses of scholars, and she remembered them clearly, so she easily calculated them again.

Feeling joyful, my words were exceptionally clear and crisp.

Hearing this from the ears of several high-ranking local officials, they felt even more ashamed.

Fifty thousand strings of cash... The total annual salary of officials in the capital and local areas of the Tang Dynasty was one million strings of cash, and five percent of that was saved at once!

Wu Zetian was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Chu Yu has come up with another great idea! Let's do it this way from now on!"

There's nothing that can stump Chu Yu, and she even saved me money in the process. You've all miscalculated...

He glared fiercely at Wei Mingkang.

Wei Mingkang's face flushed, and he forced a smile, saying, "Imperial Censor Lu is exceptionally intelligent, I admire him... but even if we can save paper, recalculating will still take time!"

"Each village and neighborhood must conduct a thorough investigation and report to the county magistrate for approval before submitting it to the Yongzhou Prefecture and reporting it to the imperial court."

Paper is no longer the problem, but the time cost of statistics remains, and there's no way to avoid it!

It can still be delayed!

Lu Jun immediately retorted:

"There's no need to investigate the entire Yongzhou region; simply verifying the list of false officials suffices—it's only a mere tens of thousands!"

"I will go to Yongzhou tomorrow. There's no need for the local officials; I can conduct the questioning on the spot!"

"The problem that Master Wei mentioned has never existed!"

"Whether it wastes paper or not is not an excuse!"

"If 20% of the names in my official list are incorrect, and after on-the-spot verification, 80% are still correct, then that's 8,000 absconded households!"

"A thorough investigation is not something that can be done overnight. As long as we can quickly identify the majority, what does it matter if we miss some?"

"I can make it up later!"

In fact, Lu Jun knew from the beginning that there was no need to worry about the paper issue.

The reason for agreeing with the other party is to expose their lack of public spirit and ability, to make them embarrass themselves, and to serve as an appetizer.

This was the real meal. A series of rebuttals came with overwhelming force, but Wei Mingkang's lips moved, yet he had no power to refute them.

He had thought his memorial was flawless, but it was refuted and found to be completely worthless, leaving his mind buzzing.

Although they were inside the hall, it felt as if they had been thrown outside and exposed to the scorching sun, their bodies instantly soaked in sweat.

Ge Fuyuan and Li Yuansu were secretly relieved that they hadn't participated in Wei Mingkang's plan; otherwise, they would have been the ones publicly executed...

"Well said!" Wu Zetian cheered loudly.

She suddenly realized that even if there were errors in the current list of inspectors, it wouldn't be a big problem.

My aim is to quickly find and apprehend those who have fled to replenish the border regions, not to bring them all to justice. What harm is there in missing a few?

"Chu Yu has arrived in Yongzhou. Go ahead and do whatever you want. I'll support you in everything!" Wu Zetian's confidence soared.

He coldly said to Wei Mingkang, "Minister Wei, since you are in charge of local affairs, you should do your job well."

Although this person was secretly obstructing things, he was ultimately acting according to the rules, so he will not be punished for the time being.

He only left the message unfinished, saying that he was inconsiderate and did not consider the interests of the court, while the other half meant that if he dared to openly obstruct again, he should not blame the emperor for being ruthless.

"Yes," Wei Mingkang replied, his voice trembling.

I don't know when my legs went numb, but when I stepped out of the hall, I staggered a few steps and almost fell flat on my face.

Zhang Shuo, Cui Shi, and Du Shenyan strode away from the Xianju Palace, then began to chat and laugh loudly.

"Brother Chu Yu's idea of ​​an incremental accounting method is truly enlightening; I am filled with immense admiration!"

"Doctor Wei's cold indifference these past few days has long been disliked, but thanks to Brother Chu Yu's ingenuity, his arrogance has been severely dampened!"

"There must be something wrong with his residence in Weiqu. Once we get to Yongzhou, we're going to make a big splash!"

"After we finish our business, let's go sample some Xinfeng wine, stroll around Qujiang Pool, and climb Leyouyuan!"

"I think you want to go for a stroll in Sanqu, right?"

Hahaha--

The group was full of high spirits and began to dream.

At some point, Zhou Xing followed the group unhurriedly. After leaving Xingyao Gate, he suddenly stepped forward and said to Lu Jun, "Imperial Censor Lu, may I speak with you in private?"

"Minister Zhou?" Lu Jun was taken aback, and a chill involuntarily ran down her spine.

He glanced south and asked, "Where are you asking for this 'borrowing a step'? It's not the Magistrate's Office, is it?"

Zhou Xing laughed heartily: "Imperial Censor Lu is currently enjoying great favor with the Emperor, who would dare to act presumptuously? Let's just find a quiet place to chat for a bit."

Zhang Shuo, Cui Shi, and Du Shenyan were all scholars, and they were all terrified when they saw Zhou Xing stopping people.

This man was the leader of the cruel officials; we wouldn't even dare to make eye contact with him, let alone have a private chat with him.

I'm afraid that if we make eye contact, I'll be taken away immediately.

These days, more and more officials are falling into prison without warning... Is Zhou Xing actually going to make a move against Lu Jun?

"Chu Yu, I'll go with you! Brother Bi Jian, go and summon General Xue! Brother Cheng Lan, go to the Immortal Abode Palace to request an audience with the Emperor!"

Zhang Shuo was very courageous; he stepped forward and stood in front of Lu Jun.

Zhou Xing coldly replied, "If it doesn't break the law, I dare not act recklessly; but if it does, you dare not act recklessly!"

The implication was that even if trouble were to arise, I wouldn't be afraid of your military might.

"It's alright, I'll go." Lu Jun patted Zhang Shuo on the shoulder.

The two walked to a corner outside the Council of State Affairs, and Zhou Xing suddenly spoke up: "Is Imperial Censor Lu going to Yongzhou because of me?"