TPITWOHEF

Chapter 86

[Whoa, that's brilliant! He even came up with the idea of borrowing from the common people!]

[Isn't this just national debt?]

Xiao Yunzhou's lips twitched, his daughter had awoken.

Oh dear, he had to restrain himself a bit, he couldn't let his daughter find out he could hear her thoughts, or it might frighten the child.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by borrowing from the common people?" Jiang Li of the Ministry of Revenue thought he must have misheard.

[Ah, so this method was the Emperor Father's idea?]

Xiao Chuchu's astonished thoughts transmitted directly into the study from the adjacent room.

Xiao Yunzhou's expression shifted as he observed the startled Jiang Li, instantly feeling impatient.

"Ahem, always asking questions!"

Xiao Yunzhou's face hardened, "I have cooked the meal and served it to you, yet you still don't know how to eat it!"

"Do you expect me to feed each of you bite by bite?"

Jiang Li blushed, and the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue felt their ears burning hot.

Finally, having worked in the Ministry of Revenue for many years, Jiang Li had some financial acumen, "Your Majesty means that since Jing Country has a large population, if each person lends one coin to the imperial treasury, we could accumulate millions of taels?"

Just recently, the one million taels of silver from the bribes taken by Ritual Master Xu had been confiscated for public use, but it hadn't even warmed the Ministry of Revenue before it was divided up in just a few days.

There was money needed to repair the Yellow River's embankment breach.

Concubine Liu needed funds to sew winter clothes.

The Imperial Academy of Medicine required money to treat refugees suffering from plague.

And there were military provisions, purchasing warhorses...

Opening up trade routes, buying lamb meat...

Just thinking about it gave Jiang Li a headache.

"Your Majesty, so you've set your sights on the common people's purses?"

Jiang Li thought to himself, casting a mournful glance towards the Emperor.

"But we already collect heavy taxes from them."

"And now you've come up with this new scheme of asking the people to lend money... Alas, it's difficult!"

The common folk are naive!

If they have money, wouldn't they rather keep the doors shut and eat meat themselves?

They don't even have enough to buy meat, and you want them to lend to the Emperor?

Hmph, they'd consider lending even a single coin too much!

Unless it's soldiers and officials holding knives to their doors, forcing them.

"This will likely cause discontent among the people, Your Majesty should reconsider," the Vice Chancellor Shen Liang frowned as he cautioned.

Since ancient times, people borrow when in urgent need, not when destitute.

"Even if the people have money in hand, they would carefully consider lending even to relatives, let alone lending to the court?"

Jiang Li nodded vigorously, "Indeed. Oppressive taxes are crueler than tigers, Your Majesty should reconsider!"