Chapter 844: The Secretariat's Task

"This, if we do it this way, wouldn't that just complicate the Ministry of Revenue's work again? Shouldn't we be refining and professionalizing all work and all departments right now?" Yulong was still puzzled.

"No, the management of these departments will still be handled by them. For example, the Weaving Department—how to produce, how many workers to recruit, improvements in production technology—of course, that is still up to them. Production is independent, but the Ministry of Revenue will coordinate. Do you understand the meaning of this coordination?"

"It means that the amount of cloth they produce in a year will be entirely managed by the Ministry of Revenue. Furthermore, this is originally the work of your Ministry of Revenue, including distribution, which is also handled by you. Under the model of a Planned Economy, this will allow you to distribute more effectively. Whatever amount they produce, you print that many Cloth Coupons. As for other products, you will handle those as well."

"Can you understand it when I put it this way?"

After Baifeng's explanation, Yulong finally understood what Baifeng meant: "Oh, I get it, I get it. It really should be like this."

"Alright, do you have any other questions? If not, hurry back to work. I still have a pile of things to do here. These ticket designs need to be drawn one by one, and then I have to get them to carve the printing plates. We must get this done throughout this Winter. If you are idle with nothing to do, think carefully about how to implement what I just said. It would be best if you could draft the regulations for me so we can reform everything together this Winter."

Yulong hurriedly gulped down the tea that had slightly cooled, then immediately stood up to grab his clothes, saying as he did: "Father, please have some sympathy for me. There is so much work in the Ministry of Revenue; I am about to be worked into a madman."

"Why don't you just let those people in the Secretariat do this? Especially Yu. Look at how capable Yu is; keeping him there just to run errands for you is a waste. I see him so idle he's getting restless."

Afterward, Yulong left without stopping to open the door. Baifeng's office was a duplex; after passing through an entryway and another door, one reached the office of the Secretariat. They needed to work as close to Baifeng as possible so they could receive Baifeng's work requirements at the first opportunity.

Yu looked up and saw Yulong with a very thick smile, completely different from the somewhat irritable expression he had when he first arrived. It seemed the matter had already been resolved.

However, the moment the two of them made eye contact, Yulong gave Yu a smile that made Yu feel somewhat panicked, his back tightening. As soon as Yulong left, he also sneezed instantly.

"Are you alright? Did you catch a cold?" a subordinate asked hurriedly, and arranged for a servant to burn the fire brighter.

But Yu did not feel cold; he just felt as if some bad thing was waiting for him.

Although Yu's current job allowed him to come into contact with and handle many important matters, he did not have any true, absolute power. He was the head of the Secretariat, but the work of the entire department was much the same: filling in the gaps and helping Baifeng with office work.

Many people envied such a job, and it indeed required someone relatively capable to hold it. However, this was not Yu's ambition. He had originally intended to continue working in the Ministry of Revenue, but because of Yulong, he had remained in the Secretariat.

Going to Lema City to take up a post was also his wish, but it was still not possible now; the date was delayed again and again. The candidate for the Lema City City Lord had already been decided. Yu was occasionally still a bit lost; unless Yulong moved positions, he might just stay here forever.

Just as he was distracted, he was suddenly called by Chunyu: "The King is looking for you."

Yu hurriedly stood up, straightened his clothes, and entered Baifeng's office. This time, Chunyu did not leave the office to wait outside but stayed inside. However, no matter what she heard, she had to act as if she had heard nothing, remaining expressionless and continuing her own work—which was daydreaming by the stove while keeping an eye on the two men's water cups, ready to add water and change the Tea Leaves at any time.

Baifeng and Yu talked for a long time before coming out. His expression was somewhat heavy, and he muttered to himself: "No wonder Yulong had that expression; it turns out he threw a huge task at me."

But the better part was that this time, Baifeng did not intend to participate too much, but instead let Yu lead their entire department to contact other departments, ask about the problems they encountered in their work, and then combine them with Baifeng's requirements to plan and create a perfect proposal.

And it had to be executable during the Winter. In the past, Baifeng would never tell them about such big tasks; he would directly finish the plan himself, then have the Secretariat organize and print the documents. It could be said that Baifeng had done it all secretly by himself, only notifying them at the very last moment. The department closest to the center of power only learned of it a day or two earlier than everyone else.

This time, however, it was almost entirely handed over to the Secretariat. Coupled with the content of the reform and such a large move, it made Yu inevitably think that their Secretariat might also need to undergo some changes, and their future work content should also undergo some shifts.

The Secretariat was indeed a very important department, and it required sufficiently intelligent people to work there, but the problem was that this King was too capable. There was no room for people like them to display their talents, which made them seem a bit useless and a bit too idle.

If they wanted to demonstrate sufficient value, it would require the King's ability to be slightly inferior, needing the Secretariat to put in effort to help. But Baifeng clearly did not need that, and as for Yulong, judging by his current state, the possibility of him needing the Secretariat to put in great effort was also not high.

If they wanted these excellent talents in the Secretariat to play the role they should, there was only one way: to also carry out a reform of the Secretariat's functions and work content.

Everyone saw Yu come out of Baifeng's office, and seeing his very serious expression, they knew there must be work assigned. But they were not nervous, because it certainly wouldn't be any big task; at most, they would hear some relatively important, explosive information.

After sitting down, Yu immediately announced to everyone: "Everyone, the King has just announced a task to us. This task is relatively significant and relatively difficult. Everyone must listen carefully and must work earnestly."

The group immediately pricked up their ears. They were not worried at all that the work was too difficult; on the contrary, they wanted some challenging work.

"Our departmental system is going to undergo another major change. But this time, the King requires our Secretariat to go down to each department ourselves to investigate, listen to the opinions of other departments, and then bring them up together to study and find solutions."

"The King has already stated some preliminary ideas and requirements. I will tell you now; listen carefully."

"..."