Situ Yan did not think there was anything wrong with his idea. "Do you know how much money it costs the imperial palace to support over a thousand people? The monthly stipends alone are nearly five thousand taels. I was thinking about how to save this expense, and then this fellow Qu comes early in the morning to cause trouble, asking me to add more people. How much more money would that cost?"
Ouyang Wen: ...
He felt terrible. "Is His Majesty concerned about money?"
"Hmph, what good can't be done with this money, why must it be used to support a group of useless people?"
"They aren't entirely useless, after all, with such a vast imperial palace, it can't be managed without so many people. You can't possibly want to save money and only live in Qian Yuan Hall, letting all other palaces fall into disrepair, can you?"
"I'm not that foolish." The imperial palace is the facade of royalty, the proper pomp must be maintained. If the palace itself were dilapidated, how could the common people dare to trust such a royal family? Moreover, Da Yin also needs to entertain foreign guests. Would we hold banquets at the guesthouse?
That would be too embarrassing.
However, "Even for managing the imperial palace, these people are already redundant."
See, this is the result of stingy management.
If the former Emperor heard these words, Marquis Guangling would probably be punished to kneel again.
Ouyang Wen persuaded, "Your Majesty, you must broaden your horizons. You are already the Emperor, ruling over the land. This small amount of money is truly insignificant."
"Money must be spent where it's needed most. Go check the Ministry of Revenue to see how much silver they have left. When a natural disaster or calamity occurs, and the court can forgo fundraising, then you can talk to me about broadening horizons."
"Uh..."
Ouyang Wen had nothing to say and could only accept the decree and leave the palace to find someone for advice.
Ji Jin's side would be skipped for now. That fellow is a medical fanatic. In his opinion, spending money to support thousands of women is certainly not as good as buying medicinal materials. Perhaps in his heart, even a蛊虫 is more valuable than those unimportant women.
Of course, his Shenggge is an exception.
Ouyang Wen went to the Dali Temple first. Coincidentally, Song Ming was also there.
These two came from ordinary civilian backgrounds, unable to understand the scope and grandeur of royalty. Song Ming opened his mouth, "Over three thousand women. If you slept with one a day, it would take seven or eight years. Although my boss is strong and vigorous, he can't handle this kind of…."
Before he could finish, his head was slapped.
Meng Changdong, who had hit him, glared at him, "If you can't speak properly, say less."
Ouyang Wen smiled, "You don't really need to sleep with three thousand. Just pick a few with good looks and family backgrounds to go through the motions."
Song Ming clicked his tongue, "Just for the sake of sleeping with a few, you have to support over three thousand? Boss must feel he's losing out big time."
Meng Changdong wanted to act again.
Ouyang Wen, however, gave him a thumbs-up, "You really haven't followed the Emperor in vain all these years. You understand him too well."
Meng Changdong's face froze for a moment, then he smiled, "His Majesty would definitely say, money must be spent where it's needed most."
Ouyang Wen admired him even more, "No wonder you two have the highest official positions and the most stable status."
Song Ming was very proud, then said, "There are too many people here and it's not suitable for a long talk. Why don't we go to Changdong's place for tea?"
Ouyang Wen said, "Let's go to my place. I happen to have some good tea I just got?"
It's good to have a brother-in-law who does big business. You can experience all sorts of new things. A few days ago, he sent over four taels of tea, said to be of a grade comparable to tribute.
Meng Changdong, however, said, "I won't disturb Madam at your residence. Let's go to my place instead. It's quieter and avoids disturbing your honorable wife and the old matriarch."
Ouyang Wen: ...
Actually, his residence had plenty of quiet places, but forget it. Since Meng Changdong was so hospitable, it wouldn't be good to refuse him.
Song Ming explained, "Young Master, please don't blame him. Changdong is not very accustomed to interacting with women."
Ouyang Wen: ...
As the three of them gathered to brainstorm over tea, Lu Nianfu in the imperial palace also received the news. She looked at the plum blossoms outside the window and mused for a while, then suddenly sighed, "Regretting that I urged my husband to seek official position, I finally understand the meaning of this saying."
Since Qingya and Miao'er were married, she naturally wouldn't bring them into the palace.
Now she was served by Qingmiao and Hongshao, and she had also selected a few from the palace maids. However, since no imperial consorts had been selected for many years, the youngest palace maid could already be called a嬷嬷.
Lu Nianfu felt that Emperor Changwu was quite remarkable every time she thought of this.
His one decree of not selecting consorts saved how many young maidens, allowing them to escape the fate of aging in the imperial palace.
What was even more remarkable was that he resisted temptation and persevered for over a decade.
Qingmiao brought her a cup of tea, "Your Majesty, please don't be unhappy. His Majesty refused to select consorts for you, you should be happy."
It wasn't just for her, but also for the money.
Lu Nianfu couldn't help but chuckle, "The court officials will not give up easily. Expanding the harem is only a matter of time."
She hoped that by then, His Majesty wouldn't suffer from angina because he was reluctant to spend money.
Hongshao's tone was very gentle, full of comfort, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's favor towards you is evident to all. Even if new consorts enter the palace, no one will be able to surpass you."