"Your Majesty, may I ask what difficulties Lord Chu has encountered?"
After a period of polite refusal, Meng Yuan, the Minister of Works, stepped forward and asked.
"Lord Chu, please explain the situation to the assembled ministers," the Empress Dowager said, looking at Chu Chen.
"Your subject obeys the decree." Chu Chen stepped forward, first glancing at Meng Yuan, then at the other ministers, and said, "The promotion of new crops requires a large number of personnel, and my Ministry of Works' Bureau of Fields is severely understaffed. We cannot even assign an official to every locality in the surrounding counties."
"Furthermore, where there are officials, their positions are too low, and the staff is insufficient to reach the village level. This is the first difficulty."
"The second difficulty is that the operating expenses allocated by the Ministry of Revenue are too meager. For one official accompanied by two or three attendants, their food and lodging are provided by the local county yamen. Suddenly increasing the number of people to feed and house, and not even being part of their jurisdiction, has caused some county magistrates to voice their displeasure."
"However, if this is not done, there is no money for food and lodging, nor for hiring carriages to travel up and down the countryside. It is truly a predicament."
Chu Chen spoke at length, the underlying implication being that there was not enough money, and that the Ministry of Revenue was to blame for not providing sufficient funds.
The civil and military officials were slightly taken aback, inwardly delighted and ready to watch the show.
Qian Jieren, the Minister of Revenue, twitched his mouth and stepped forward, cupping his hands, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the funds reported by the Bureau of Fields are simply too enormous. The Ministry of Revenue cannot produce such a large sum."
"Oh? Lord Chu, how much did you request?"
The Empress Dowager asked curiously. While this was part of the plan, such a situation did indeed exist.
Chu Chen replied with apparent dissatisfaction, "Your Majesty, I only requested five taels of silver per official, two taels for the monthly food and drink of several people, and three taels for hiring carriages to transport seeds. Even with this, the minister was unwilling to approve it."
"Who said I was unwilling to approve it? Does my Ministry of Revenue have so much money? Five taels per official is not much, but my Cloud Moon Kingdom has thirteen provinces, six commanderies per province, and six counties per commandery. For 468 counties, that would be 2,340 taels of silver per month!"
Qian Jieren angrily retorted, "What's more outrageous is that the promotion of new crops is a single matter, yet your Bureau of Fields, lacking sufficient personnel, intends to dispatch an official to each county and a deputy director to each prefecture, and you are also demanding funds and provisions."
"If my Ministry of Revenue had the money to approve this, what would these officials do afterward? Each official, whether promoted or recruited, would cost thirty taels of silver; a deputy director would cost fifty taels. Your Bureau of Fields is short of more than a hundred people!"
Food and lodging were a minor expense, but salaries were the major one. The Bureau of Fields currently had only about a hundred officials. According to this plan, over three hundred more would need to be promoted or recruited. Excluding the deputy directors, the monthly salary expenses would increase by nine thousand taels.
The promotion of new crops would certainly not be completed in one or two months. It would still be necessary to promote them next year. Calculated this way, these personnel salaries would need to be maintained for at least three years, totaling an expenditure of 360,000 taels of silver.
Furthermore, Qian Jieren disliked Chu Chen and would not foolishly agree.
The Cloud Moon Kingdom had a population of only over twenty million. The court's annual revenue was only three million taels of silver and 300,000 shi of grain. Expenditures were required everywhere. An increase of seven percent in annual expenditure without reason was a significant burden.
Shuangyue City had experienced war, and its buildings and walls needed repair. The grain and fodder consumed in the eastern border war needed to be replenished. Half of the compensation for the 30,000 fallen soldiers was still outstanding. There were also the salaries of officials in various regions, the military expenses to maintain the 500,000 semi-cultivating army, newly forged military equipment, and subsidies for the cultivation of new crops.
Which of these did not require money?
Chu Chen chuckled inwardly, but his expression showed a hint of anger, "This is a matter for your Ministry of Revenue. How to obtain the funds is also your responsibility! Since ancient times, food has been the paramount concern for the people. Are we to abandon this matter due to financial difficulties? Would that not invite criticism from the world?"
"Nonsense, when did I say we would not do it? It's just that we don't have that much money and grain at the moment. I just want you to slow down and proceed gradually!"
Qian Jieren, his beard bristling with anger, retorted fiercely.
Chu Chen feigned impatience and cupped his hands, "Your Majesty, without sufficient funds and grain, this matter cannot be accomplished by your subject. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and said gently, "Lord Chu, why do you say that? Since the Ministry of Revenue lacks money and grain, I shall subsidize this matter from my inner treasury. How about that?"
Internally, the Empress Dowager also wanted to laugh. Her inner treasury's income from soap and scented soap alone in the Cloud Moon Kingdom could generate four million taels per month, an annual income of forty-eight million, more than ten times the revenue of the court's Ministry of Revenue.
This was also the Empress Dowager's confidence in supporting Chu Chen's reforms and innovations. Otherwise, for an emperor to rely on the court's Ministry of Revenue for reforms and innovations would be as difficult as ascending to heaven, with very few succeeding throughout history.
Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager was willing to pay out of her own pocket to support the promotion of new crops, before Chu Chen could reply, Qian Jieren eagerly interjected with great joy, "This is excellent. With sufficient funds and grain, Lord Chu should be able to accomplish the promotion of new crops, right?"
Chu Chen frowned slightly and replied, "If the money and grain are sufficient, your subject will naturally be able to accomplish it!"
"Good." The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Since the promotion of new crops is funded by my inner treasury, I require Lord Chu to begin with my imperial farms. Do you understand?"
"But Your Majesty, as an outsider, how can I interfere with the affairs of the imperial farms?"
Chu Chen feigned difficulty.
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly and said, "This is simple. I will confer upon you the title of Imperial Envoy of the second rank, and you shall establish a new department called the Imperial Bodyguard, specifically responsible for the promotion of new crops. You may hand over all matters of your Bureau of Fields to your deputy."
"In that case, your subject has no objections. Your subject accepts the decree!" Chu Chen shook his head and cupped his hands to accept the order.
Wait, what happened?
Between the Empress Dowager and Chu Chen's discussions, the matter was settled. The court officials were still contemplating the issue of insufficient funds and grain in the Ministry of Revenue. How had Chu Chen suddenly become an Imperial Envoy of the second rank?
Some of the older, astute individuals sensed something unusual from their exchange and frowned, lost in thought.
Qian Jieren, the Minister of Revenue, whose face had been beaming with joy, suddenly fell into despair.
It was a good thing that the Empress Dowager was investing in the promotion of new crops. However, prioritizing the imperial farms meant that the Ministry of Revenue would not receive a single cent from the output of these farms. In the end, the Ministry of Revenue would remain impoverished, while the Empress Dowager and Chu Chen would reap substantial benefits.
How could Qian Jieren be happy about this?
"Something is wrong. This should not have developed this way. Where is the problem?"
Qian Jieren muttered to himself, unable to figure out the key to the issue.
Most of the court officials who did not understand the situation showed knowing smiles. A new department was good, as it meant more official positions, allowing more of their clansmen to become officials and enjoy wealth and honor.
Thus, the astute old ministers dared not speak, while the majority of officials who had not yet grasped the situation were blinded by the benefits of the new department. The Ministry of Revenue, not having to provide funds or grain, would not object. And so, a new department was established.