"His Majesty's idea is truly ingenious."
Qi Shan gave Shen Tang's idea his wholehearted approval.
However, he then changed tack.
"There's just one thing I don't understand."
Qi Shan was so frustrated he could only blame himself for failing to prevent this.
He had thought that warning her in advance would keep his liege from being swayed by Zhai Xiaofang's emotional appeal. He hadn't expected to lose by a single move. Just what Bewitching Soup had Zhai Xiaofang poured down her throat? Paying off the previous dynasty's overdue salaries? Not counting those salaries as debts of the former dynasty and simply refusing to pay them—or at least not confiscating some officials' family assets—would already have been generous. Even if they did pay, they'd only pay a small portion.
Whether the officials could actually get their hands on that money would depend on whether they knew how to behave.
And if they didn't?
Burn the previous dynasty's salary registers.
Destroy the evidence and make sure they had no way to claim their wages.
Their own liege, on the other hand, was lavish. She'd come right out of the gate offering N+1.
Shen Tang said, "Ask away."
"Will the Ministry of Revenue agree to this?"
The smile vanished from Shen Tang's face in an instant.
Just thinking of Xun Zhen's face—the one that looked like everyone owed him a million—gave even Shen Tang the phantom sensation of stomach cramps. Offering the former officials of Qu a N+1 compensation package would certainly let her claim the moral high ground. It would also give her a perfectly good reason to weed out the parasites in Qu's royal court and solve the problem of redundant officials all at once. The only drawback was that it would be murder on her purse. Xun Zhen, the man