Chapter 1826: Wang Zhe Dismissed as Chancellor

This day, the wind was gentle and the sun warm, full of spring spirit. Emperor Liu issued a decree, summoning the Crown Prince and several chancellors of the Hall of State Affairs to the imperial garden to taste spring tea. Naturally, these core figures of power in the Great Han court would not treat this gathering as a simple discussion session.

Sure enough, before a single cup was finished, Emperor Liu asked Finance Commissioner Wang Zhe: "Has this year's summer tax quota been set?"

Upon hearing the question, Wang Zhe immediately rose and respectfully reported: "In reply to Your Majesty, your ministers are working urgently to finalize the tax quota."

"Working urgently?" Emperor Liu said with no small measure of mockery: "It's already mid-March, and you're still in the drafting stage. What are you waiting for—do you intend to wait until the summer harvest is finished? Fiscal matters are the great affairs of state. To be so negligent and perfunctory—is this the court's recent style of conduct?"

Facing this sudden reprimand from Emperor Liu, Wang Zhe was somewhat stunned—hadn't it always been like this in the past? He did not dare show any grievance, but carefully reminded Emperor Liu: "Your Majesty, in past years the court's summer tax quota was always determined in late March, before April, and then apportioned to the various prefectures and circuits throughout the realm..."

Hearing this, Emperor Liu smiled faintly, staring at Wang Zhe: "By your meaning, Minister Wang, you feel there is still ample time, and therefore no need for urgency?"

"Your minister does not mean that!" Wang Zhe could not help but panic, and hurriedly said: "Tax quota formulation is inherently a meticulous and cumbersome matter, requiring multi-faceted balancing, comprehensive consideration, and repeated deliberation—especially since the various prefectures and circuits have different levels of development and obvious gaps between rich and poor, requiring even more careful weighing..."

Hearing Wang Zhe's explanation, Emperor Liu smiled again: "What you say makes great sense, and it should be the working principle of the Finance Commission. However, I have heard that in the past, when the Finance Commission formulated tax quotas, it merely made cuts and adjustments on the basis of the previous year—some even say no thought was needed at all. How is it that this year, there are so many reasons?

I can see it now—even a pivotal central ministry like the Finance Commission is so dilatory and sluggish. No wonder the trend of delay and negligence among local offices has grown so rampant lately, with all sorts of chaos emerging one after another. This is all learned from you!"

This unvarnished rebuke made Wang Zhe unable to hold himself together any longer. His face changed drastically, his legs went weak, and he kowtowed to beg for punishment: "Your minister has failed in his duties—please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Looking at the trembling Wang Zhe, Emperor Liu's expression was cold and indifferent as he continued to ask in a low, icy tone: "In the past five years, what was the annual summer tax quota?"

Wang Zhe was already flustered. Emperor Liu's interrogative tone made him feel as though his heart were burning. He nervously recited: "In the twenty-third year of Kaibao, the summer tax was over 32.2 million strings of cash; in the twenty-second year, over 31.7 million; in the twenty-first year, 31.2 million; in the twentieth year..."

Wang Zhe answered while recalling, but when he reached the twentieth year, he racked his brains and still could not recall that figure—and as for earlier years, there was no need to mention them. He had only been Finance Commissioner for these past few years.

Emperor Liu stared coldly, the others watched from the sidelines, while Wang Zhe was at a complete loss. Cold sweat seeped uncontrollably from his forehead, and his voice trembled somewhat.

Seeing this, Emperor Liu no longer let him make a spectacle of himself. He swept his gaze across the assembled ministers and said sternly, in a warning tone: "This is the Great Han's Finance Commissioner, the chief steward of the national treasury—and he doesn't even know how much the family fortune amounts to!"

"Your minister is benighted and ignorant! Please punish me, Your Majesty!" Wang Zhe, upon hearing this, kowtowed with force, speaking in an almost pleading tone.

Looking at Wang Zhe prostrating himself fully on the ground, Emperor Liu's hard expression finally softened somewhat. He gazed at him for a moment, then finally waved a hand: "Rise!"

Wang Zhe was momentarily stunned but did not move, only keeping his head lowered: "Your minister dares not!"

"Rise!" Emperor Liu's voice rose a few notches.

Only then did Wang Zhe get up, but he did not dare look at Emperor Liu, standing there awkwardly and at a loss. Emperor Liu let out a gentle sigh and said: "Go home! Retire and enjoy your old age!"

At these words, everyone present, including Liu Yang, could not help but be startled—but they quickly regained their composure. Indeed, given how Emperor Liu had shown Wang Zhe no face at all, the decision to dismiss him was hardly surprising.

As for Wang Zhe, upon hearing this, his body stiffened. He finally raised his head to look at Emperor Liu, but seeing those eyes devoid of any emotion, his lips twitched a few times before he finally bowed deeply with a trembling voice: "Your minister thanks Your Majesty for his grace!"

Having said this, under Emperor Liu's gaze, he left with a hunched body and a lost, dejected air—his retreating figure inevitably giving one a sense of desolation. The others, seeing this, also felt a mix of emotions. This Wang Zhe, holding a great post, though without outstanding talent or remarkable achievements, had also never committed any great error. Moreover, he was an old minister of Emperor Liu, seated among the top three chancellors of the Hall of State Affairs—to be dismissed so easily made onlookers feel a sense of sympathy for one of their own kind.

But for Emperor Liu, he had already given Wang Zhe his chance—he had even gone so far as to break precedent to warn him, yet Wang Zhe had clearly not taken it to heart. In the Great Han's central government, under Emperor Liu's very eyes, there was no room for bureaucrats who coasted along.

What of loyalty? Emperor Liu valued it, to be sure, but it was by no means his only criterion for trusting talent. In this regard, Wang Zhe fell far short of Lu Duoxun, who had once been mired in troubles.

Withdrawing his gaze, Emperor Liu's expression was calm as he looked toward Deputy Finance Commissioner Wang You and said: "The burden of the Finance Commission shall fall on your shoulders, Minister Wang. I have no other requirements—just take Wang Zhe as a warning!"

Wang You, who had been silent like everyone else, immediately rose upon hearing this, bowed his old back, and answered: "Yes!"

His superior had fallen, and he, the deputy, was being promoted to the top position. From Wang You's standpoint, he ought to feel fortunate—yet at this very moment, Wang You truly could not muster any joy.

Emperor Liu was not easy to serve... Wang You was already past sixty—sixty-six years of age. Old, with a gaunt face and a generally lackluster spirit. Of course, no matter how one looked at it, reaching the pinnacle of officialdom at such an advanced age was still worth celebrating.

"Come, drink tea!" Having resolved the replacement of the Finance Commission's chief, Emperor Liu once again revealed what he considered a warm smile like spring sunshine, gesturing to everyone as he spoke.

Everyone responded in kind, but they could no longer savor the pleasure of the spring tea. Their expressions varied, their hearts heavy with concern. Zhao Kuangyi glanced at the decrepit Wang You and inwardly thought it a pity. Wang Zhe's dismissal as chancellor did not surprise him, nor did he have much sympathy—he had never thought much of this so-called old minister of the Qianyou era.

What was regrettable was that Emperor Liu had acted too quickly, settling the successor on the spot. He was naturally somewhat covetous of fiscal power—how could he not be? This was the ministry second only to the Ministry of Personnel among the court's functional departments.

However, even if he could not seize the Finance Commissioner post for himself, taking the opportunity to insert some of his own people and increase his influence was certainly doable. Amid the tea-drinking, Zhao Kuangyi secretly pondered.

Unable to resist glancing at Li Fang, who now held a position comparable to Chief Chancellor, Zhao Kuangyi's mouth curled slightly. Originally, because of Li Fang's seniority, prestige, and his relationship with the Crown Prince, Zhao Kuangyi had been quite wary of him—but after actually working together, that wariness had gradually diminished.

How to put it? The man had talent and insight, to be sure, but he was too bookish, too soft in temperament—a full grade weaker than the scheming, calculating Zhao Kuangyi.

He looked toward Wang You again—this man had simply stumbled into a bargain. But as he thought on, his brow furrowed involuntarily. When Shen Yilun had retired and Wang You had succeeded him, had Emperor Liu already been preparing for this man to take over? How was there not the slightest sign beforehand?

While Zhao Kuangyi was lost in thought, Emperor Liu spoke again. Setting down his teacup, he said softly: "Since we've brought up the Finance Commission, let's take this opportunity to discuss the current tax system of the Great Han!"