Chapter 176: Volume 1, Chapter 176: A Bad Premonition

Streamlining departments was no easy task either; the functions of many official positions overlapped to a certain extent, yet there were also differences. Why did officials always end up arguing, making a fuss, and fighting fiercely for power over trivial matters? It was precisely because of overlapping functions.

Simplifying the complex, clearly delineating official positions, and assigning responsibilities down to each individual—this was the management system commonly seen in large companies of later generations.

Rong Luoge took up a brush and began organizing the Inner Court Office, and gradually a rough framework took shape in her mind.

The imperial household's daily meals, clothing, storehouses, ceremonies, construction, farms, livestock, guards and attendants, mountain and marsh foraging, and other such affairs were all divided up one by one, and then personnel would be gradually assigned to each.

Rong Luoge deliberated repeatedly, and it was not until the sky had gone completely dark that a rough draft finally emerged. She examined it carefully, found it passable, and decided to wait for Han Xinglan to return so she could show it to him.

Han Xinglan had been busy until very late before returning. Rong Luoge was already so drowsy that she had lain down first, leaving the documents in a conspicuous spot on the desk for him.

Sure enough, the moment Han Xinglan entered the hall, before even washing up, he spotted the ledger first. He stepped forward, picked it up, and began reading; after just the first page, his expression turned serious.

The Inner Court Office had grown from a minor yamen in the early days of the dynasty to its current snowballing, unwieldy state, mainly because the imperial household had become increasingly extravagant and needed more and more things, which was why more and more people kept being added.

Once an official position was established, no matter whether it was still useful later on, it would not be easily abolished, leading to the Inner Court Office's personnel growing ever larger—this was also something that gave him a considerable headache.

But now, using the empty treasury and the enormous military expenditures needed for the border war as a pretext, downsizing Hou Gong's palace staff first and then streamlining the Inner Court Office would follow naturally.

After all, even he, as the emperor, was reducing the number of attendants serving him and releasing them from the palace to cut expenses. If even the emperor did this, how could the Inner Court Office still put up resistance?

Moreover, although the number of officials was reduced after Rong Luoge's proposal to streamline, the division of responsibilities was far more precise. This way, they could no longer shift blame onto one another, and the office would actually operate more efficiently.

Han Xinglan put the ledger away and decided to set an example for Rong Luoge tomorrow, assisting her in pressuring the Inner Court Office.

That night, Han Xinglan did not sleep very soundly. If even the Inner Court Office was like this, what about the other yamen of the court? Could they follow suit as well?

Early the next morning, Han Xinglan left in a great hurry. When Rong Luoge woke up, he was already gone, but this had become the norm, and she did not pay it much mind.

However, it was not long before Yuan Bao brought back a piece of news: His Majesty had declared in open court that he would halve the number of attendants serving him and send them out of the palace, to cut expenses and save military funds for the soldiers at the border. The moment these words were spoken, the entire court erupted in uproar, and for a time, no one spoke up to oppose or support it.

Since ancient times, emperors had only ever sought more enjoyment—who had ever wronged himself like this?

This was different from what the court officials had imagined. With His Majesty setting an example himself, they as subjects naturally had to follow the emperor's lead.

A wave of frugality swept up all at once.

With the emperor making such a move, Rong Luoge found that Shuyuan Xu's work proceeded much more smoothly, and on Yuan Bao's side, more and more people were reporting others' wrongdoing. Corruption had been rampant in every yamen since ancient times, but looking at the evidence Yuan Bao submitted, Rong Luoge was still so angry her chest pounded.

These corrupt officials had been lining their own pockets. Every year Hou Gong spent so much silver, and the subjects of the realm only assumed the imperial consorts were extravagant—who knew that a portion of it had gone straight into these people's pockets.

They had to be made to spit it back out.

Hmph, in later generations there was the phenomenon of "when Heshen falls, Jiaqing eats his fill." Though there was no single corrupt official as enormous as Heshen right now, the combined total of these people was still a very considerable sum.

If Han Xinglan were ruthless enough to confiscate their estates, he could probably recover more than half the military funds needed.

But Han Xinglan had just ascended the throne, and a war was being fought at the border—the interior could not be destabilized. Launching a massive confiscation of court officials' properties at this time was hardly a good idea.

They wouldn't proactively confiscate, but they could let the officials voluntarily donate silver to atone for their crimes!

"Donate silver to atone for crimes?" When Han Xinglan returned to keep Rong Luoge company for the midday meal and heard this, his eyes lit up. "That is actually a workable idea."

Rong Luoge said angrily, "Every one of these corrupt officials reaches so far to line their pockets. We can't deal with them openly right now, but they themselves are surely afraid. As long as someone lets word spread that money can avert disaster, I think that to save their own lives, these people will definitely be willing to spend some money."

Han Xinglan mulled it over and thought the idea was indeed quite good, and said with a smile, "How did you come up with this? It really is a fine idea."

It would collect silver, avoid damaging his reputation, and smoothly streamline the Inner Court Office all in one stroke—killing three birds with one stone.

Rong Luoge said, "I was angry, that's how. When you're angry enough, you come up with things."

Han Xinglan: …

He gave a light cough, looked at her, and said, "Don't be angry now. Your health comes first—there's still one in your belly. What's worth getting angry about with these people? Once I free up my hands, I'll deal with them."

"It's exactly because you can't free up your hands—you're too busy." Rong Luoge sighed. She truly had not expected that being emperor would be this exhausting. Sometimes Han Xinglan even had to bring memorials back at night; after keeping her company for the evening meal, he still had to go to the study to work overtime. "You need to take care of your health too. You're the one we mother and child rely on."

Han Xinglan smiled and gave Rong Luoge's hand a squeeze, then said, "All right."

A single short word, yet full of weight—this was his promise.

Rong Luoge's method could not be called particularly honorable, but it was extremely effective. Since ancient times, the human heart had never been able to withstand pressure. To protect themselves, to secure their own positions, betraying their superiors and subordinates was a commonplace occurrence.

Very quickly, Yuan Bao had gathered a great deal of intelligence. Just as the people in the Inner Court Office were rife with suspicion and uneasy with anxiety, they received yet another piece of news—that silver could be paid to atone for crimes. It was like dropping water into a vat of hot oil: everything exploded at once.

Though on the surface no one could tell who had paid and who hadn't, the roster and list Rong Luoge received from Yuan Bao, along with the ever-rising amounts of atonement silver, was truly deeply satisfying.

But these people still did not know that the amount of atonement silver they would pay in the future would be tied to the extent of their corruption, and that the officials ultimately allowed to stay would, of course, be those who had embezzled the least during their tenure.

The silver they were so readily paying now was all solid evidence.

The commotion in the Inner Court Office was considerable, and the outer court officials soon caught wind of it. They looked at one another in dismay—no one had expected His Majesty to pull a move like this.

The news had been controlled so tightly that they only learned of it when matters were already nearing their end. This was certainly not a good sign.

Before the court officials had even recovered their wits, officials from the Inner Court Office had already submitted memorials, earnestly and sincerely requesting His Majesty to streamline the Inner Court Office and contribute to the military funds for the border soldiers.

The emperor granted it with a flourish of his brush and praised the Inner Court Office greatly, then His Majesty smiled and looked at the court officials.

The assembled ministers: …

They just had a bad premonition.