Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 722: Digging a Pit (Part 1)
Tang Youyin smiled and clasped his hands, "How is it that Doctor Yang has time to come by today?"
Yang Zheng never thought much of Tang Youyin before. He was a proper court official, while Tang Youyin was merely a clerk by origin. If not for the Commandery Princess favoring the Tang Family, Tang Youyin would never have had the chance to shine at the Prince Mansion. But now, there’s no need to mind such things. They are both court officials from the Nanyang Prince Mansion, and now even considered close confidants of the Emperor, inherently closer than others.
"A few days ago, Lord Minister assigned me a task, and I’ve drafted a plan and budget. Today, I’ve come to the Ministry of Revenue to get approval."
Yang Zheng chuckled softly, "There’s quite a queue; could Brother Tang do me a favor?"
Such requests were common. Tang Youyin couldn’t refuse outright, nor could he agree immediately, so he smiled and said, "Where is Brother Yang’s document? Let me have a look first."
Yang Zheng promptly handed the petition to Tang Youyin.
Tang Youyin glanced over it swiftly, and then, with a meaningful look at Yang Zheng, he remarked, "Repairing the palace is indeed a job for the Ministry of Industry. However, working in the palace is no small matter. It requires the Empress Dowager’s approval and the Emperor’s consent. Plus, according to the old customs, the Ministry of Revenue can only provide up to half of the funds. You’ll have to find the other half from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Doctor Yang, newly appointed, taking on the Ministry of Industry’s duties for the first time, is probably unaware of these things!"
Yang Zheng: "..."
That old fox, Minister Zhou! He actually dug this huge pit for him!
Yang Zheng was no fool; a nudge from Tang Youyin made him realize he had taken on a troublesome task, and anger boiled inside him.
What is Grand Empress Dowager Zheng’s temper like? Once silver reaches her hands, it only goes in and never comes out. Trying to get funds from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
On the Ministry of Revenue’s side, by custom, they can only allocate half. With just half, how can he repair the palace? It wouldn’t even cover the materials!
On the day he took on the task so eagerly, Minister Zhou must have laughed until his belly burst!
The more Yang Zheng thought about it, the angrier he got, nearly steaming from the head.
Tang Youyin knew Yang Zheng valued his pride, so he didn’t speak too plainly, but gently reminded him, "Today the Ministry of Revenue is busy, and there are many documents piled on Lord Minister’s desk. It might be better for Doctor Yang to return first and come back in a couple of days."
Yang Zheng took a deep breath and bowed to Tang Youyin, "Thanks to your guidance today; otherwise, I might have made a big joke of myself. I’ll go back now and revise the palace repair proposal."
Tang Youyin personally escorted Yang Zheng out of the Ministry of Revenue.
The Six Ministries are close to one another, not far apart. Yang Zheng, holding the proposal he had meticulously created over several nights, returned to the Ministry of Industry, with a composed façade.
Of course, he couldn’t directly go to Minister Zhou to settle accounts.
Minister Zhou is a superior, assigning tasks to subordinates is perfectly legitimate and within the rules. On the surface, this task seemed fine. It was his own enthusiasm that blinded him to the traps behind it, prompting him to take on the task. Now, he must find a way to complete the task and maintain his pride. He would wait for a suitable opportunity to return the favor unobserved.
So, the question now is, how should he handle this task exactly?
"...Doctor Yang went to the Ministry of Revenue today, but he didn’t see Minister Ji. Instead, he met with Tang Yuanwailang. I’m not sure what they talked about, but Doctor Yang quickly returned."
In the spacious signature room, Minister Zhou, with slightly dark skin and a somewhat rough appearance, was leisurely enjoying fragrant tea, listening to the subservient clerk’s report.
Thinking of Yang Zheng’s difficult position, Minister Zhou’s mood grew increasingly pleasant, and he slowly instructed, "Keep an eye on Doctor Yang; report immediately if there’s any movement."
The fawning clerk dutifully retreated.
Minister Zhou smiled slyly and continued sipping his tea.
The Empress wants to appoint trusted aides to the Ministry of Industry, and as Minister of Industry, he was powerless to resist and had to silently accept it. However, establishing oneself smoothly in the Ministry of Industry depends on whether Yang Zheng possesses the capability.
Grand Empress Dowager Zheng tightly controls the Ministry of Internal Affairs; just this task of requesting silver to repair the palace is enough for Doctor Yang to stew in his own juice.
Of course, Doctor Yang has another option, which is to directly appeal to the Emperor and seek his support. Yet, in the officialdom, such actions are tantamount to admitting defeat. Yang Zheng, who is extremely proud and eager to outperform Ma Yaosong and Tang Youyin, would never concede so easily.
Thus, Doctor Yang can only rack his brains to figure out how to cut the budget and complete the task.
...
Getting slapped and immediately seeking someone to complain and ask for help is something an immature child would do. In the officialdom, when faced with difficulties and being set up, one must find a way to crawl out of the pit themselves. Otherwise, it will be hard to hold one’s head up in the future.
Usually silent, Minister Zhou is actually sly and full of cunning.
Yang Zheng was in a difficult position, spent two days repeatedly trimming the palace repair budget, meticulously calculating even the daily expenses for the craftsmen, and barely managed to reduce the budget by twenty percent.
During this time, Minister Zhou sent someone to urge him twice, asking Yang Zheng to hurry to the Ministry of Revenue to get approval: "...Lord Minister said that with the New Year approaching, this matter must be settled before the year’s end. Work will begin after the year. Please, Doctor Yang, act swiftly."
It was already the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, with only twelve days left before the New Year. The Ministry of Revenue could be managed by begrudging a favor from Tang Youyin, but dealing with the Ministry of Internal Affairs would require endless errands and haggling. How can this short time suffice?
Yang Zheng was internally cursing, yet maintained a confident and composed expression, "Please convey to Lord Minister that the task will certainly be completed before the year’s end. Work will commence after the Lantern Festival."
The obsequious clerk sneered maliciously, "I will report back now, and Lord Minister is waiting for Doctor Yang’s good news." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Then, he left.
Yang Zheng suppressed his agitation and headed back to the Ministry of Revenue.
Tang Youyin was quite loyal, placing Yang Zheng’s proposal and petition on Minister Ji’s desk, conveniently putting them at the top.
This year, the National Treasury continuously received revenue. One must admit that confiscating properties is immensely profitable; with the treasury full, Minister Ji, who worried about silver all day, had even gained some weight, and his once constantly furrowed brow was no longer a permanent feature of his face.
"Lord Minister, this is the Ministry of Industry’s budget for repairing the palace," Tang Youyin said, "The task is managed by the newly appointed Doctor Yang."
Minister Ji instantly grasped the situation, took the budget, and flipped through it, "This budget is quite thorough and detailed; it’s not overly high. However, the Ministry of Revenue, by custom, can only allocate up to fifty percent."
Given the Ministry of Revenue’s current affluence, under previous circumstances, even allocating thirty percent would have been considered generous to the Ministry of Industry.
