Chapter 333: Revenue Collection

Chapter 333: Revenue Collection

Behen fell silent.

She’s overwhelmed; the pressure has driven her to the brink.

Behen, feeling unusually paternal, said, "The court's expenses are indeed enormous. Someone once suggested establishing military governors, granting them autonomy to manage the prefectures."

"Addressing long-standing issues takes time. If you're too tired, you can set it aside for now. Dayue is not yet in decline."

The term "military governor" triggered Bei Jingchu’s alarm bells.

She instantly remembered what caused the fall of the most prosperous dynasty.

Struggling to keep her voice steady, she asked, "Father, is the military governor suggested by that person a regional governor with both military and administrative authority, even with the power to appoint and dismiss local officials?"

Behen nodded.

Bei Jingchu’s worst fears were confirmed.

She nervously tousled her hair, realizing even the wisest rulers err.

She took deep breaths to calm herself. It's okay, it's okay, the political systems of this era are still evolving. She can’t judge her ancestors by future standards, can’t despise Father, he doesn’t have a historical perspective.

After repeatedly reassuring herself, Bei Jingchu barely calmed down again and said, "The feudal lords already wield significant power. I was thinking of finding an opportunity to forcibly reduce their authority. How is a military governor different from a non-hereditary lord?"

"No, I'd rather be more tired. The military governor must not appear."

"If the court doesn’t fund the army, rebellion is certain. Although it might be convenient for a while, it’s like drinking poison to quench thirst."

But Bei Jingchu knew that if the issue of household registration remains unresolved, the establishment of military governors is also inevitable.

In her generation, she can still suppress it and maintain a prosperous Dynasty Yue, but when her children or grandchildren succeed, Dynasty Yue will decline rapidly.

After returning to the East Palace, Bei Jingchu, who had received a new task, tasked her subordinates with brainstorming.

As the crown prince, it's impossible to come up with ideas herself. The advisors handle the thinking, and she only needs to pick the most perfect plan from among them.

Bei Hua took a different approach and said, "The issue of household registration has been a long-standing problem. Since we can no longer allocate land, for more than a decade, the court officials have been at a loss."

"Your Highness is thinking of enriching the national treasury. Why not explore alternative methods to achieve the same goal?"

Although Bei Jingchu thought that avoiding proper national taxes and finding other ways to accumulate wealth was unreliable, she didn't stop people from expressing their opinions and said, "Let's hear it."

"A state monopoly on salt and iron."

Bei Hua rubbed her fingers, sore from frequent use of the abacus, and said, "Nowadays, the private sector's methods of iron smelting and tool making are quite advanced, making it difficult to restrict. But we can focus on salt."

"Every household has a need for salt, and not much. Selling it at a high price won't add too much burden to the people."

"People can avoid paying taxes, but they can't avoid eating salt."

"Dayue, in order not to compete with the people for profit, has always allowed private operation. Now changing to state monopoly can greatly relieve the pressure on the national treasury."

Bei Jingchu nodded, "That's a method. Does anyone else have any ideas? Feel free to speak up."

After Qin Yuping demonstrated his talent, Bei Jingchu brought him in to replace the left advisor who had resigned and returned to his hometown.

He asked, "Your Highness, aren’t the salaries and rewards of Dayue’s officials and nobles excessively lavish?"

"Managing finances boils down to increasing revenue and cutting costs."

"As the imperial court, there’s no need to vie with the common people for profit. It’s better to focus on cutting costs and trimming unnecessary spending."

Bei Jingchu mentally scanned the Ministry of Revenue’s ledgers but couldn’t identify any unnecessary expenses.

She sipped some ginseng tea to refresh herself and asked, "Minister Qin, where do you think we can cut costs?"

Qin Yuping proposed slashing officials’ salaries.

Bei Jingchu frowned and shook her head.

"No, if people work hard to pass the imperial exams but can’t even get the rewards they’ve earned, it will become much more difficult for Dayue to attract talent."

Qin Yuping paused and said, "We can leave the rewards for capable individuals untouched, but can’t we cut back on the perks for those noble heirs who only eat, drink, and play?"

"They draw salaries and honors from the court but contribute nothing productive. There’s no need to spend a fortune to support them."

The argument seemed sound, but even without dissent, Bei Jingchu shot it down herself.

"That won’t work either. Though this generation of idle nobles is of no use to Dayue, their titles were hard-earned by their ancestors through blood and sweat. Either they helped expand the empire or they toiled tirelessly for the court."

"If the wealth and honors they earned are stripped away after their death because their descendants are useless, it would demoralize the current ministers and seem unjust."

"What about the royal family’s descendants...?"

"If the royal descendants who don’t inherit the throne fall into decline within a generation or two, it could spark unrest."

Bei Jingchu didn’t elaborate on the kind of chaos, but she believed that her ministers in the East Palace were not fools and could understand the implied meaning.

Qin Yuping went quiet.

Bei Jingchu knew he believed in sacrificing personal interests and not competing with the people for profit. He was honest and upright, but he wasn’t helpful to her right now.

Luo Xiaoquan, who joined Bei Jingchu’s circle the same year as Qin Yuping, spoke up, "Your Highness, I think we could introduce new taxes, like property and business taxes."

This reminded Bei Jingchu of a late dynasty’s era, where people were taxed for drinking water, leaving their homes, and even walking—making life unbearable.

But she didn’t dismiss the idea outright, as it might be a last resort if the dynasty hit rock bottom.

She only said, "We’re not at that desperate point yet, so there’s no need to consider increasing taxes for now."

The suggestions that followed were all over the map—some were solid, while others were so absurd they gave her a headache.

Xu Chengzhou stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth. Since he fainted in the East Palace last time, everyone had snacks prepared during discussions.

Xu Chengzhou enjoyed the sweet taste in his mouth, and his heart felt even sweeter.

The Crown Princess must’ve done this because she’s looking out for me!

Thinking this, he looked at her affectionately.

Bei Jingchu leaned her elbow on the desk, gently massaging her right wrist with her other hand.

The young Crown Princess didn’t notice someone’s infatuation, only feeling sorry for herself for developing occupational diseases at such a young age.

If this family business wasn’t her own, she could have used the art of slacking off, but unfortunately, she was the young master.

He’s sitting in the crown prince’s seat but fretting like he’s already the emperor.

Xu Chengzhou didn’t get the beautiful moment of eye contact he’d imagined, so he chewed and swallowed the rice cake he’d been holding in his mouth. Then he voiced his concerns: "Are we all off track here?"

"All these money-making schemes we’ve been talking about are shady at best. Even if we add more taxes, the burden will still fall on those who are already registered, just adding to their struggle to get by."

"As long as we sort out the household registration issue and make sure the major agricultural taxes are paid, why would we need to worry about cutting expenses or scraping together funds?"

Bei Hua couldn’t stand his arrogant attitude and snorted lightly in rebuttal: "We all get the idea, don’t we? It’s precisely because we can’t sort it out now that we’re considering other methods."

"Since you’re acting so high and mighty, why don’t you tell us how to fix it?"