Chapter 379: Too Many Wolves, Too Little Meat

Clearly, Sun Chengzong had not raised this matter because he actually wanted to see it succeed.

Everyone knew that the new army was the Emperor's prized possession right now, and reaching for it at this moment would only invite His Majesty's displeasure. Sun Chengzong would not do anything so unwise—he simply wanted to sabotage Xu Guangqi's proposal.

Xu Guangqi wanted to allocate more money to His Majesty for raising troops, so Sun Chengzong would argue that the troops should instead be handed over to the Ministry of War to support. Once the matter became a squabble, neither side would get what they wanted, and the money would never be divided at all.

Xu Guangqi shot a glance at Sun Chengzong without changing his expression, hatred for that old bastard burning in his heart.

But Xu Guangqi also understood that this was an attempt to suppress him. If he insisted on pushing it through, the other two men present would certainly not stand idly by—they would follow Sun Chengzong's lead and stomp on him too.

Even if His Majesty favored him and wanted to grant his request, it probably could not be done.

Xu Guangqi let out a cold snort of his own and said directly: "These matters are better discussed before the throne. Settling them privately among ourselves is not the way of a minister."

Having said this, Xu Guangqi rose to his feet, flicked his sleeves, and walked into the inner chamber.

His meaning was plain: if you won't discuss it with me, then none of you will discuss it either—we all walk away empty-handed.

Huang Kezuan and Han Kuang exchanged a glance, both breaking into smiles.

As for the struggle between Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi, the two of them were happy to watch it unfold. But now was not the time to make a move—otherwise those two old foxes might well join forces and bite back.

"Then let us settle it before the throne tomorrow." Han Kuang rose and said with a smile: "For now, let us go attend to other matters. There is so much work in the Grand Secretariat, and all of it falls on the few of us—we must apply ourselves."

Sun Chengzong smiled, also rising and walking into the inner chamber.

Keeping Xu Guangqi from getting his way was enough for Sun Chengzong. As for the foolish business of fighting Xu Guangqi to the death—he would never do such a thing. If everything were handled that way, wouldn't Han Kuang be the one to profit?

Men like themselves could struggle against one another, but not to excess. If they truly provoked His Majesty's wrath, no one would come out of it well.

Meanwhile, news that money was about to be distributed spread like wildfire through every government office, large and small, across the entire capital.

For officials who had been tightening their belts, this was tremendous news worthy of raised cups and celebration—at last, their hands could loosen a little.

Nowadays, with the Office of Transmission watching over the Ming officialdom and the secret memorial system in place, no one dared to embezzle as freely as before. But when money passed through one's hands, some gravy was bound to stick.

For everyone, dividing up the money was a good thing—it meant they could eat their fill.

"Life in the capital is no easy thing" was not merely an idle saying; in a city of a million people like the capital, simply surviving was no small feat.

Even for officials, living in the capital on their meager salaries was already difficult, let alone living with dignity. To live respectably, one needed some extra income on the side.

Setting everything else aside, an honest, rule-abiding man could not even solve the problem of housing.

So everyone waited with craned necks, hoping their superiors could squeeze out more money to share around.

Likewise, this was one of the more fiercely contested matters at court. If you could not bring in money, those beneath you would grumble. Once hearts scattered, the ranks became hard to lead.

Under such an atmosphere of public opinion, every high official felt considerable pressure. Whether Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat or Ministers of the Six Ministries, all were mulling over this matter in their hearts, and mutual hostility began to grow.

That morning, the Grand Secretaries and the Six Ministers all entered the palace.

Also entering the palace together were the people of the Staff Office, along with the Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries and the Office of Transmission, among others. Even the Court of Judicial Review and the Shuntian Prefecture had arrived.

Everyone smiled and clasped their hands in greeting at one another, while inwardly scheming about how to kick the other fellow down.

When the appointed hour arrived, the assembled crowd entered the palace with smiles that did not reach their eyes.

Zhu Youxiao sat upon the dragon throne, looking at the ministers prostrating themselves below, and felt a pounding headache coming on.

Although this time they had brought back a considerable sum—over seventeen million taels in silver alone at the outset, with more income to follow—the numbers were what they were.

This money sounded like a lot, and in fact it was a lot; given to a single person, it would make him enormously wealthy. But in a country this large, scattering this money about would be like dropping a pebble into a lake—just a ripple on the surface. To accomplish what he wanted to do, it was still a drop in the bucket, and Zhu Youxiao could not help but feel his head ache.

The crux of the matter was that there were too many wolves and too little meat—how to divide the money was itself a problem.

"Beloved ministers, no need for ceremony." Zhu Youxiao looked at everyone and spoke slowly.

Once everyone had risen to their feet, Zhu Youxiao continued: "I have summoned you all here today, and I trust you know the reason. I shall not beat around the bush—let each ministry report the silver it requires, and we shall discuss it."

"Let us begin with the Ministry of Rites. Minister of Rites Shen Tingyun, you speak first."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Shen Tingyun acknowledged, then quickly stepped forward from the crowd and said: "I report to Your Majesty—the Ministry of Rites does not have many matters, nor will it require too much silver. Three million taels will suffice."

Hearing Shen Tingyun say this, everyone's gaze fell upon him.

This is what he calls not too much?

This is nothing short of a lion's mouth gaping wide open! A demand that simply takes one's breath away!

The total was only a little over seventeen million taels. Even if the Six Ministries split it evenly, each would not get three million—and a share had to go to the Emperor as well. And shouldn't the Shuntian Prefecture and the Court of Judicial Review also get a taste of the rain and dew?

"Minister Shen, mind your words." Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo could not bear it any longer. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Why does the Ministry of Rites need so much silver?"

Shen Tingyun was not angered in the least; instead he smiled and said: "Minister Zhou, do not be hasty. Please hear me out."

"In ordinary times, the Ministry of Rites indeed does not need so much silver. But things are different now. Under the Ministry of Rites there is one place that spends a great deal—that office is the Imperial Academy."

"The Imperial Academy in the capital is merely a pilot project, as all the ministers present surely know. Nearly a year has passed, and you have all seen the results of the capital's Imperial Academy. In this round of the imperial examinations, the court admitted two hundred and ninety-six provincial graduates in total, and seventy-six of them came from our capital's Imperial Academy. This shows the transformative power of the Imperial Academy's education, and it also demonstrates the merit of His Majesty in establishing it."

"Since the results are so good, naturally we must expand. The Ministry of Rites has decided to establish Imperial Academies in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our Great Ming—one more in the capital, two in Nanjing, and one in each of the other provinces."

"The two Imperial Academies in the capital and Nanjing will follow the existing model. In total, sixteen more Imperial Academies need to be built. The construction of the academies, the purchase of various goods, the hiring of teachers—all of this requires expenditure. Three million taels—I am already stating the figure on the low side."

Everyone looked at Shen Tingyun, utterly exasperated.

This fellow really did have his reasons. After the incident with the Kong family of Shandong this time, His Majesty was certain to value the Imperial Academy even more highly. Expanding it would surely please His Majesty as well. So the justification Shen Tingyun had found truly left everyone with nothing to say.

But three million taels was an outrageous figure! Why should it take three million taels of silver?

It was only building a few Imperial Academies—why did it need so much money?

This was plainly a lion's mouth gaping wide open!

But everyone also knew that Shen Tingyun was leaving room for the court to cut him down. If he actually needed one million, he would ask for three—even if the court cut two million, it would still be enough; and if the court only cut one million, then he came out ahead.

"Surely this matter is not so urgent?" Sun Chengzong stepped forward and said: "At present, natural disasters are frequent across our Great Ming, and the northern border passes are far from stable. The court's funds would be better spent in those areas."

"In Liaodong, the Wild Boar Skin runs rampant without restraint—how long has it been since the border garrisons received their full military pay? The soldiers at the frontier are cold; we cannot send them to fight on empty stomachs, can we? This time, the earthquake in the northwest damaged many passes and fortifications—surely those need repairing as well? As for establishing Imperial Academies, in my view, building them one at a time will do."

"Grand Secretary Sun's words are mistaken." Vice Minister of Revenue Feng Congwu stepped forward and said: "This time in Shandong, countless common folk followed the rebellion—what was the reason?"

"The reason is that they actually believed in that Wenxiang sect. This shows that education is lacking in various regions and the people's minds remain unenlightened."

"If education were properly carried out, the people would know propriety and understand righteousness, and naturally they would not do such things or fall for such tricks. In that case, how much silver could be saved for the court's armies? Education is itself a matter of utmost importance—how can it be treated lightly?"

Everyone turned to look—it was Vice Minister of Rites Feng Congwu, who was also the headmaster of the Imperial Academy.

This matter was very advantageous for Feng Congwu. Once the Imperial Academy was expanded, his power and influence would grow greatly. Under such circumstances, he naturally had to support it.

Those who supported Sun Chengzong were naturally not few in number, so the two sides began arguing.

This matter sparked an extremely loud quarrel, like chickens talking to ducks—for a moment, the debate turned everything upside down.

Zhu Youxiao helplessly sighed. Whenever competition involved money, it was indeed fierce.

"Enough, stop arguing." Zhu Youxiao looked at the crowd and said in a deep voice.

By now, Zhu Youxiao's authority grew by the day, and he was naturally no longer what he used to be. Now, the moment he spoke, the room fell silent instantly.

Everyone took a step back, waiting for the Emperor's judgment.

"Both of you beloved ministers make valid points. However, Grand Secretary Sun, what we are discussing now is a matter for the Ministry of Rites. The Ministry of War's affairs can wait until later. Do not mix the two matters together—that will only create chaos." Zhu Youxiao said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sun Chengzong quickly acknowledged.

Zhu Youxiao nodded, then turned to look at Shen Tingyun and said: "As for what the Ministry of Rites has proposed, it should indeed be done. However, three million taels truly is too much. When doing things, one cannot always fixate on money—one must find ways. With money, the task must be accomplished; without money, the task must still be accomplished."

Zhu Youxiao looked at everyone and slowly said: "Which beloved minister has a solution to this problem? I will not be stingy with rewards."

After these words came out, everyone fell silent.

Everyone understood that if this matter was to succeed, money had to be spent; if one wanted to avoid spending money, then some underhanded tricks would be needed.

But such underhanded tricks were probably not easy to devise, and even if one could devise them, not necessarily anyone would dare to speak up.

"Your Majesty, your subject has a plan."

At this moment, someone finally stepped forward.