From cute to empress

Chapter 184: Dance of Resources

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to report!"

I stopped and looked back. It was the Minister of Revenue, Lord Li. He was sweating profusely and looked panicked.

"Lord Li, why are you so flustered?"

"Your Majesty, the national development strategy has entered the implementation stage, and projects in various places have been launched one after another, but...but the treasury is empty, resources are limited, and there is a problem of uneven distribution!" Lord Li knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

I frowned slightly. As expected, nothing goes smoothly.

"What's the specific situation?"

"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Zhang advocates prioritizing the development of agriculture, building water conservancy projects, and increasing grain production to ensure national food security. Censor Wang believes we should increase investment in education, establish schools, cultivate talent, and lay the foundation for the country's long-term development..."

Before Lord Li finished speaking, I heard a commotion outside the hall. I looked over and saw Grand Tutor Zhang and Censor Wang arguing fiercely, neither willing to give in.

"Your Majesty! Food is the most important thing for the people! Without food, everything is empty talk!" Grand Tutor Zhang's voice was loud and powerful.

"Lord Zhang is wrong! Talent is the key to national development! Only by cultivating more talents can we promote social progress!" Wang Jianguan was not to be outdone.

I listened quietly and didn't say anything to stop them. Both ministers were concerned about the country, but their stances and starting points were different.

"Your Majesty, look at this..." Lord Li looked embarrassed, not knowing what to do.

I took a deep breath, pressed my hands, and signaled everyone to be quiet.

"I have heard your opinions, my dear ministers. Food and education are both crucial pillars of national development, and neither can be disregarded."

I looked around and my eyes fell on Advisor Liu.

"Lord Liu, you are very resourceful. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Advisor Liu stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea..."

"Your Majesty, I have an idea..." Advisor Liu cleared his throat and continued, "We can divide the country into several regions and formulate different development strategies based on their actual conditions. For example, areas with flat terrain and abundant water resources can prioritize agriculture, while areas rich in mineral resources can focus on developing industry and commerce. This way, we can fully utilize resources while avoiding waste."

"Ridiculous!" As soon as Advisor Liu finished speaking, he was met with strong opposition from Grand Tutor Zhang. "Since ancient times, agriculture has been the foundation of a nation! If we neglect agriculture, the consequences of a famine will be disastrous!"

The Imperial Censor also spoke out in opposition: "Your Majesty, Lord Liu's plan may seem all-encompassing, but it's actually too idealistic. Conditions vary widely, so how can we generalize?"

For a moment, the court was abuzz with discussion, each arguing with their own opinion, and no one could convince the other. I rubbed my aching temple, feeling overwhelmed. I understood all this, but with limited resources, trying to cover everything was far from easy.

"Enough!" I stood up suddenly, a hint of fatigue in my tone. "I understand everything you said. However, what I want to know is not these empty theories, but practical solutions!"

I looked around at everyone, my gaze firm. "Knowledge gained from books is always shallow. To truly understand, one must personally experience this. Pass on my decree. Starting tomorrow, I will go on an incognito tour and personally visit various places!"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible!"

"Your Majesty, you are a precious person, how can you easily put yourself in danger?"

……

I waved my hand, signaling them to stop talking. I knew that to truly solve the problem, I couldn't just sit in the palace and listen to reports; I had to personally understand the situation. I wanted to see what my country and my people truly needed!

The next morning, I changed into a coarse linen shirt and quietly left the palace with a few guards. My first stop was Zhaojia Village, the closest village to the capital. As I reached the village entrance, I saw a group of people gathered together, seemingly arguing about something. I gestured for the guards to approach and inquire. A moment later, the guards returned, reporting to me with a strange look on their faces:

"Your Majesty, they are fighting... over water..."

I was immediately intrigued when I heard this, and quickly walked over with my guards. In the middle of the crowd, a burly man was pointing at a thin man and yelling, "Sun Laosan, do you have any conscience? This canal is our village's only source of irrigation water. Why are you using it to run your crappy blacksmith shop?"

The thin man, unwilling to be outdone, retorted with his neck stiff, "Zhao Laosi, stop spitting insults! I'm doing this for the good of our village! If we can create better farm tools, everyone's harvest will increase, isn't that great?"

Then I understood that the village blacksmith, Mr. Sun, needed a lot of water to make farm tools, and this water source was originally used to irrigate farmland, which caused the dispute among the villagers.

"Ahem..." I cleared my throat, attracting everyone's attention. "Brother, uncle, please stop arguing and tell me the whole story."

Zhao Laosi and Sun Laosan saw that I was dressed simply but had an extraordinary demeanor, and guessed that I was no ordinary person, so they told me the details of what had happened one after another.

After listening to their stories, I had an idea. I pulled them aside and patiently advised, "I understand your feelings, but everything requires a balance. Water resources are limited, but we can find ways to improve its utilization. For example, we can build reservoirs to store excess water for future use, or we can improve irrigation methods to reduce water waste."

Zhao Laosi and Sun Laosan exchanged a glance and nodded. I continued, "Uncle Sun, your idea is great. Building better farm tools will indeed improve everyone's harvest. However, you can't just think about yourself; you also have to consider the needs of the other villagers."

Sun Lao San lowered his head in shame: "Miss, you are teaching me a lesson. I was not thoughtful enough."

I smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. "Admitting one's mistakes is the best way to improve. How about this? When I get back, I'll have someone send over some blueprints for building a waterwheel. This way, we can save a lot of manpower and paper, and free up more manpower to help you build farm tools."

Zhao Lao Si and Sun Lao San agreed with my proposal. Upon returning to the capital, I immediately convened a meeting of ministers to discuss the matter. We developed a more rational resource allocation plan tailored to local conditions, taking into account the development of agriculture, industry, commerce, and other sectors.

After the implementation of the plan, some projects progressed smoothly. For example, the construction of water conservancy projects greatly improved the efficiency of agricultural irrigation and thus increased grain production. However, some projects encountered new difficulties, such as...

“Go down, stop thinking!”

"Your Majesty, urgent news from the border!" The guard's hurried voice interrupted my thoughts, and my originally relaxed mood suddenly became heavy. The border, the border again! Ever since Zhen Youcai was ordered to guard the border, battle reports have been pouring in like snowflakes. Although there have been frequent victories, a lingering worry still remains in my heart.

I took a deep breath, took the secret letter from the guard, and unfolded it. My brow furrowed slightly. It turned out that due to the recent large-scale water conservancy construction in the country, the iron ore needed to forge weapons for the frontier army was in short supply. The soldiers on the frontier had to use outdated weapons and armor for the time being, significantly affecting their combat effectiveness.

Putting the secret letter down, I rubbed my aching forehead, feeling helpless. On one side was the water conservancy project that mattered to the nation's economy and people's livelihood, and on the other were the soldiers defending the country on the frontier. Both were of paramount importance. How could I choose?

"My dear ministers, the military supplies on the border are tight. Do you have any good plans?" I handed the secret letter in my hand to Grand Tutor Zhang beside me and asked tiredly.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to ensure the safety of soldiers on the border. How about we temporarily slow down the progress of the water conservancy project and allocate more resources to the border troops?" There was a hint of worry in the elderly voice of Grand Tutor Zhang.

"Grand Tutor Zhang, this is wrong!" Censor Wang objected. "The water conservancy project is crucial to people's livelihoods. How can we just stop it? If it affects the autumn harvest, and the people don't get any harvest, wouldn't that be more harm than good?"

"Lord Wang is right, but the soldiers on the border are fighting bravely, and we can't let them feel discouraged!" Advisor Liu also stood up and expressed his opinion.

The ministers spoke one after another, each expressing their own opinions, and the whole court suddenly became lively. I sat on the dragon throne, quietly listening to their arguments, but my heart was becoming increasingly irritated.

"Enough!" I slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, stood up, and said sternly, "You all argue and argue, but has anyone really considered that what I want is not a simple choice, but balance!"

The ministers were startled by my sudden anger and lowered their heads in silence.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my excitement, and slowly said, "The water conservancy project cannot be stopped, and the soldiers on the border cannot be ignored. I have made up my mind and will make minor adjustments to the plan..." I paused, glanced at the ministers below, and said word by word, "The water conservancy project will proceed as scheduled, but efficiency must be improved, the construction period must be shortened, and the saved resources will be given priority to supplying the border troops!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers responded in unison.

I looked at them, but my heart didn't feel any lighter, but heavier. I knew this was just the beginning, and there were more challenges waiting for me in the future... "Report—" Another urgent report came, and my heart tightened: "Announce!"