Chapter 984: Chapter 820: Collapsing at the First Blow

"Emperor, this humble servant has a few proposals, and I request Your Majesty’s permission to present them."

Gu Chengyu knew that relying on these Capital Officials was futile; he had to express his own opinions to minimize the losses from this disaster.

The Emperor immediately nodded, "Proceed!"

"May I ask Mr. Shen if the Ministry of Revenue currently possesses the household registration for Changtian Prefecture?"

Gu Chengyu turned to look at Shen Shikang, the Minister of Revenue, maintaining his composure amidst the varied expressions of those present.

Shen Shikang had a favorable opinion of Gu Chengyu, and thus his attitude remained relatively gentle.

"We do have it, but the Ministry of Revenue only updates it once every three years. After all, the household registries of the subordinate states change considerably each year and cannot be delivered promptly, so the numbers may not be accurate."

The court has now changed the tax system to levy according to the acreage of land. Compared to the previous dynasty, the people’s taxes have been significantly reduced.

If taxes are collected based on land, it is understandable that the Ministry of Revenue lacks a comprehensive household registry.

In ancient times, transportation was slow, and the distances were vast, making it impossible to report every change in the household registration to the Capital promptly.

It was a situation ripe for manipulation, where officials could easily make a profit.

Those who were greedy could amass a fortune because of the many tax categories.

Gu Chengyu pondered for a moment, "I wonder if the Ministry of Industry or the Ministry of War has a household registry?"

The court requires the populace to perform corvée duties every three to five years.

The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War would certainly have archived household registrations, but it has been two years since the last corvée duty, so it’s unknown if the household registry has been updated.

Tong Shunmin and Dai Yuanji shook their heads; the Ministry of Industry’s household registry changes with the timing of corvée duties.

It changes every three years, and next year is when corvée duty is due, so the registry from two years ago must differ from the current one.

It would be even more unlikely for the Ministry of War, as they have already recruited soldiers and fortified the army two years ago.

Gu Chengyu frowned; these ancient times were indeed inconvenient, but the population in these registries should not differ much from the current situation.

The truly comprehensive household registry should be with the subordinate states or at the Provincial Governor’s office, as it is the superior of the states.

"Emperor! This humble servant believes that the urgent task is to dispatch officials from the Ministry of Industry to inspect the river embankments of various states in Jiangnan to see if they are secure and to immediately organize the people to reinforce them. Furthermore, the disaster in Changtian Prefecture is severe, and officials from the Ministry of Revenue must be sent to verify the number of affected people. Only with precise numbers can the court allocate funds for disaster relief. Additionally, the levees in Changtian Prefecture should be expanded..."

Gu Chengyu walked to the side of the map, pointing to several places, "These areas must have the levees repaired urgently; otherwise, the river embankments will continue to collapse on a large scale, leading to unimaginable consequences!"

The Emperor nodded; these were the post-disaster precautions. Gu Chengyu had provided a remarkably detailed account.

In essence, the discussion boiled down to these points, but executing them would be incredibly challenging.

"If any of you have nothing to add, I shall adopt Gu Aiqing’s suggestions."

The Emperor’s expression was not favorable; Gu Chengyu had already devised a comprehensive plan.

Yet these ministers remained indifferent, offering no useful advice; this is the disparity.

It seems that holding the court examinations three years after the provincial exams takes too long, and the court has lost many talented individuals.

These veteran ministers have become slick old hands in the bureaucracy, just muddling through, their minds long unused, turning to mush.

"Emperor! Is Scholar Gu’s map accurate? It’s merely drawn by his mansion’s steward, who is not an official of the Ministry of Industry, so how can it be free from discrepancies?"

Xia Qing voiced his doubts; Gu Chengyu had spoken confidently, as if everything were under his control.

But he believed that Gu Chengyu had not visited Changtian Prefecture, so how could he know its terrain so well?

Just relying on that steward from the Gu Mansion? Ridiculous.

Could a steward adept only at accounting draw such a detailed map? This is the specialty of officials from the Ministry of Industry.

"Whether the map is accurate or not, I must now send officials to Changtian Prefecture to take charge!"

The Emperor glanced at Xia Qing, growing increasingly dissatisfied with him over the years.

Due to his disciple, Xia Qing was always hasty and anxious to plan for his disciple’s benefit.

Apparently, Xia Qing has also aged!

"Emperor, the embankments of the Tianya River were just repaired and reinforced this year. Why did they crumble so easily?"

The Minister of War, Dai Yuanji, raised the issue; this matter involved the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue.

Gu Chengyu subtly smirked; some matters could not be brought up by him but needed others to address. Otherwise, he would be the target.

With this statement, the hall fell into sudden silence. The Emperor’s eyes widened; he was so focused on disaster relief that he nearly forgot this matter.

"What do you mean, Mr. Dai? Scholar Gu just explained the terrain of the Tianya River. That area is so unique, with powerful flowing water, the combined force of which Mr. Dai is surely aware of? It is indeed logical for it to breach the levees!"

This matter concerned the Ministry of Industry, so Tong Shunmin naturally could not allow Dai Yuanji to cast aspersions upon them.

If it were discovered that the Ministry of Industry was negligent in repairing and reinforcing the river embankment, he, the Minister of Industry, would also be implicated.

"Hmph! It is obvious; I do not believe the river embankment would be breached so quickly. Before this, did the officials of Changtian Prefecture not notice any anomalies at all? If the embankment were solid, it would initially leak water, and there would be signs before any collapse."

Dai Yuanji’s argument was indeed logical and well-founded; for it to collapse so quickly, the quality of the river embankment was indeed questionable!

"Mr. Dai, do not speak recklessly. The court has not yet dispatched officials to investigate this matter. How can you declare the river embankment untenable? Everything must be based on evidence; Mr. Dai, as a second-rank official of the court, your words are so casual, truly an eye-opener for me!"

The Minister of Revenue, Shen Shikang, was not to be outdone, as Dai Yuanji’s questioning implicated their Ministry of Revenue.

"The truth of the matter, both ministers are surely aware..."

Gu Chengyu watched as the three exchanged words, their spittle flying.

At this moment, disaster relief was the most urgent concern, but to avoid culpability, these figures had begun to argue.

"I, too, believe Mr. Dai’s baseless slander is highly inappropriate."

Xia Qing joined the verbal dispute, and the hall quickly became noisy, with the officials growing more agitated.

A sudden dull sound rang out; Gu Chengyu immediately looked towards the source of the noise.

A brazier had fallen onto the rug, its incense ash scattered everywhere.

"Silence!" The Emperor was furious, as this group only knew how to shift blame, completely oblivious to the people’s suffering.

They immediately fell silent, not daring to speak further!

"Kuang Zhao Ying, take some men and review the records to find out which officials were involved in the repair and reinforcement of the river embankments at that time. Apprehend these officials overnight, imprison them in Dali Temple, and we shall decide their fate later."

The Emperor had no desire to listen to their arguments further, choosing to arrest the individuals first and then send people to inspect the river embankments in the Jiangnan states.

If any discrepancies are found, not one of these people will escape.

Kuang Zhao Ying’s heart tightened, "As you command!"